A Second Chance
by YarningChick
Summary: It's Halloween, and Haru's being haunted by two ghouls from her past.  But she may mind one of them less than the other.
1. A Love Remembered

A Love Remembered

"Haru, the phone's for you!" Naoko called up the stairs towards her teenage daughter's room. In front of the large mirror next to her door, a tall brunette was giving her outfit a final look over. She had to pick up her long yellow skirt in order to reach her phone through the Halloween clutter. She crashed on the bed while answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Haru! Tsuge's outside, are you ready?"

"If you'd just told my mother to tell me that, I would've been down the stairs by now," the brunette laughed. "See you in two seconds." She put her phone back into the receiver and started over the clutter again. She snuck a last peak at her outfit while exiting her room and smiled inwardly.

One would think that the Cat Kingdom would have put her off yellow ball gowns, but for some reason, Haru couldn't think of anything she'd rather wear to the Halloween dance. It wasn't the exact same as the one the Cat King had forced her into wearing, and she was glad for the fact, since the original had been very uncomfortable.

'_Of course, if you had a choice between dancing with Baron in an itchy gown and being alone in a comfortable one, you would go for the itchy one without complaint. You would have even put on make-up tonight to look like a cat if you didn't know it would look fake and take away from the outfit.'_ Haru smiled at her own thoughts as she grabbed a coat while putting on her shoes.

"I'll be back somewhere between ten and eleven, Mom."

"Have fun maiming boys, Sweetheart!" Her mother turned back to the red and green fabrics she was working with for the upcoming Christmas quilts. Haru grinned, knowing that her mother usually got pretty hyper around holiday seasons.

She ran out of the front door, Tsuge's familiar green car waiting for her. Hiromi was already out so Haru could climb in the back. She was sitting up front so her large fairy wings wouldn't get ruined, and her boyfriend looked like Zorro. He grinned at her as she delicately picked up her skirt to get in.

"You're really playing with fire if you show up at the dance like that, Haru. Machida's going a little crazy as is."

Hiromi slipped into her spot and lightly slugged him on the shoulder.

"Are you checking out my best friend?" she asked. He grinned at the two girls before taking off.

"No, just making a polite observation."

His girlfriend laughed, and left it alone.

It's funny. A year ago, Haru would have given her left arm to get Machida to look at her, and now she was struggling to get him to notice other girls. She even thought about skipping the dance to avoid him, but she really wanted to go. Just for the opportunity to relive some old memories in her head.

An orange cat came into her mind, smiling at her as he leaned down and jumped off a building, just in time for a crow to catch him. It took a lot of trust to do something like that.

'_Baron's such a show-off, but I loved every minute of it.'_ Haru giggled softly, making her friends look back at her.

"Haru, is there something you would like to share?" Hiromi grinned at her friend's light blush. The brunette shook her head.

"Just trying to guess how many of each there will be of vampires, witches, and skeletons."

"And Jedi," Tsuge added. "I'm betting at least ten of those, even if they won't be allowed to keep the light sabers."

Both girls giggled.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Somehow, the school looked spookier at night, but Haru guessed that that was the general idea of Halloween night.

The couple had gotten out first and was now heading toward the school; the brunette extracted herself from the car and closed the door behind her to look up at the moon. It was full, creating a classic Halloween feel. Now all that needed to happen would be for someone to jump out and-

A cloaked figure flew from the other side of the car, arms extended towards her. Haru smoothly sidestepped the vampire, gracefully captured an extended arm, and twisted said arm behind his back.

She was grateful for the self-defense course she had started after returning from the Cat Kingdom. It wasn't like Baron could always protect her the way he had. The ghoul cried out in pain, her grip surprisingly strong.

"Come on, Machida; can't you think of a better way to get my attention?" she asked, causing him to laugh a little uneasily.

"Not really. Can I have my arm back? If you're going to keep it, could you at least walk to the side of me?"

The brunette jerked and released him. He turned to her, rubbing the arm defensively.

"I was kind of hoping that you'd keep it, but gently."

She smiled sadly.

"Sorry. I just don't see you that way."

"You used to, though."

"So? There's a big difference between 'used to' and 'do'." Inside her coat pocket, she gripped a new CD case for comfort. "I'll see you inside." She began dodging between the cars faster than he could keep up, her heart turning into lead. She knew she should give the guy a chance, since she didn't have one with the one she wanted. But, it felt so unfaithful to see a guy if she was thinking of someone else. And she was never good at lying. Good thing no one's ever asked here point-blank if she's been to an animal kingdom.

As she came close to the doors, nearly beating Tsuge and Hiromi to the entrance, her step suddenly froze. She looked up, trying to see if someone else was waiting to ambush her over the exit. But there were only shadows, so why did she feel like someone unknown was watching her?

"Haru? Are you okay?"

The brunette laughed a little shakily.

"Just getting into the Halloween spirit. Nothing to worry about." She snuck another peak at the shadows. Did she see something move? Tsuge laughed and grabbed one arm, a lovely lady now on both sides.

"Don't worry, Haru; I'll protect you from the darkness."

The sun maiden laughed, wishing that another had offered.

'_Baron.' _"If you keep flirting with me, Hiromi's going to put you in the doghouse."

"No; talking to chick-friends (well, I can't say girl friend) is completely off the record. Come on; I know you're dying to maim at least five of the boys that will want to dance with you."

Everyone laughed again, marching through the doors with interlocked arms.

Above the entrance, a figure lurked; glowing eyes locked on the angry vampire as he marched toward the school.

"You can't run from me forever, Haru. I'll get you yet," Machida muttered furiously.

The eyes narrowed, and a small hand made a fist in contempt.

"We'll just see about that…Machida," the figure whispered.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haru was still gripping her CD case when she entered the gym. It was fairly standard for a high school dance; balloons, streamers, snack table, and a DJ dressed like Elvis. She headed for the last item and handed him the CD case.

"Why thank you, thank you very much, little lady. Is this appropriate?" he asked.

She nodded.

"It doesn't even have words, and it's a soft ballad. I'm not too picky about when you play it, but if you would at some time, I would appreciate it."

He smiled at her, and she could barely see her English teacher underneath the costume.

"Thank heaven, a nice request. You've made my night, Miss Yoshioka."

She grinned at him, on much better terms with the man, now that she wasn't late to class anymore. He looked at the label.

"Katzen Blut?"

"It means 'cat's blood', but don't worry. It's a beautiful piece, and it has an accordion." It had also taken several months to find it, after a few false leads. But it wasn't like she was in a position to ask for the song's name when the musician playing it was near. He laughed.

"Well, I guess I don't have to worry if it has an accordion. Now, Nurse Hashiki was very nice about coming this time, and I'm certain that you don't want her to get bored or anything."

Haru laughed. She had tried telling a few people that she could dance now, but she hadn't met anyone brave enough to test her since Baron. She bowed to her teacher and started looking for a few of her friends through the colored lights and disco ball, wondering as she went, why on earth did the school still have a disco ball?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Only one of Tsuge's predictions came true. There was a grand total of fifteen Jedi present, and they had huddled into groups to talk about the unfairness of giving up their light sabers in order to be allowed on campus. The guys that did approach Haru only did so when they wanted someone to talk to, since she was a pretty good conversationalist. But they weren't dumb enough to ask her to dance, since she was the main reason the school nurse was required to come to school-sponsored parties now. But the fact didn't bother the brunette as much as it used to, or all the teasing she got for her dance attempts. The secret knowledge of her waltz with Baron was enough to comfort her, and hearing the waltz in this setting would help bring those magic moments back.

Machida was still not getting the point, barely moving from Haru's side while the other guys left to find dancing partners. The sun maiden's mind, however, was far from the dance. All she could see was green, a light yellow green-

"Who is he, Haru?"

She snapped back to attention.

"Who?"

He glared at her.

"The guy you apparently think is cooler than me. Is he here?"

She laughed.

"I would be shocked if he was. He tends to stick out in a crowd."

His eyes flamed. He should have guessed the reason for her indifference sooner.

"What's his name?"

"Why should it matter to you? You'll never meet him."

"What makes you so certain?"

She gave a dreamy smile.

"A number of things."

But then again, he's been known to crash parties before. She felt something brush against her dress. She looked down sharply and gasped.

Muta was inside the school! How'd he get in without anybody noticing? He grinned evilly at her, and then took a few steps away. He stopped, and turned around to look at her. She grinned back, getting the message loud and clear.

"Hey, is he a prop for the dance? That's strange-Haru! Where are you going?"

She was following the cat onto the dance floor. She didn't answer the teenage boy, but addressed the huge cat she was following between the dancing couples.

"If you put me through another labyrinth, I'll-" Muta never heard what Haru would do to him, because a guy dressed like a musketeer had bumped against her. She looked up to apologize, and gasped again.

Her white friend wasn't the only cat inside the school.

Baron grinned at her from behind his steel mask.


	2. A Love Regained

A Love Regained

"Excuse me, would you care to dance?"

She could hear Elvis end the fast song and replace it with her Katzen Blut. Well, what would one expect a crushing schoolgirl to do? She beamed and gave him her hand.

"I'd love to."

Realizing that Haru was about to dance, the floor was immediately cleared for the couple. Baron chuckled as he placed his other hand on her waist.

"I didn't realize you had that much power here."

She giggled while placing her free hand on his shoulder.

"Just the power of fear. I wasn't lying when I told you my dancing was 'meowsy'."

He smiled at her again, leading her through the same steps he had eight months prior.

"Then how do you explain what's happening right now?"

She grinned.

"For some reason, I've only had grace when I'm with you. I know that sounds a little corny, but it's true."

All the students stared in amazement, watching her glide smoothly under her partner's guidance.

Machida glared, guessing that the mysterious cat-man was the guy Haru was crushing on. But how could she have told who he was? That cat mask was really convincing, with a moving mouth part.

The brunette smiled happily again.

"It's great seeing you again; I've really missed you. Wait, how come you're this tall?"

He smiled at her while leading her through a dip. It took all of his will power to keep his tail hanging like a fake one.

"Hours of finding the correct spell. I would look like a human too, if I had done a bit more searching."

She giggled.

"That's okay. I like you the way you are."

Not to mention the fact that nobody could tell what he really was during Halloween, which was probably why he was here. His gaze softened, and for the first time since she's known him, Baron looked nervous. Really nervous.

"I actually was hoping to ask you something, Haru. The last words you spoke to me. The last _personal_ words you spoke to me."

She smiled.

"You mean confessing about my little crush?"

He nodded, and swallowed noticeably.

"I need to know, Haru; is it still true?"

She smiled warmly and rested her head on his chest after he finished twirling her around. Thank heaven he liked honest girls.

"To a different degree. It's not a little crush anymore, Baron; it's huge. Way bigger than I thought it could be." She could hear his heart speed up, and he held her as close as he dared while on school grounds. He kissed her hair, sending shivers down her spine.

"That was all I needed to know. Haru, to put this in your words, I'm crushing pretty hard on you, too. I haven't been able to get you out of my head since we said goodbye."

Haru could feel her own heart speed up, and she felt like she was walking on crows again. Almost on air.

"I'd like to court you, but I'm not blind to the problems."

She gave him a look.

"What problems? There's you, there's me, and the fact that you fixed the height problem."

He grinned broadly, glad that she was so open to the idea.

"It's a temporary spell; I'm still working out the problems in the permanent one so I can shift between heights and species at will. It would be difficult to live in my house at this height."

She giggled, remembering how she had gone in, that one time. Baron's broad shoulders would provide a bit more of a challenge than her slender ones did.

Suddenly he slipped a ring onto her finger. It was a steel cat with twinkling emerald eyes. She noticed that he had a hard spot on his finger underneath the glove, maybe from a similar ring.

"This is so that you can switch heights too. Now flirting will be _much_ easier."

Haru's giggles cut off when the music did sharply. The couple looked over at the DJ, stunned that he had been removed from his place sharply.

A livid vampire was holding the end of the power cord in his shaking fist.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be here!"

Haru shrugged.

"It's not the first time I've been proven wrong."

Baron glared at Machida.

"Excuse me, but I've been really curious as to how that song ends. If one maniac doesn't cut it short, another one does."

Everyone started laughing, even though they had no clue about the previous lunatic.

Haru took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck and squeeze.

"That's okay; I got an extra copy just in case."

He grinned at her and hugged back. She had grown a little more, in the past few months. She didn't have to jump this time in order to hug him, and her hair was a bit shorter, giving her a more mature look. That was fine by him, since she was still a minor and he was…several years older, to put it politely.

But good luck to the officials if they could catch him.

Machida walked out from behind the DJ and stormed toward the couple.

"Show your face!"

Baron laughed, and turned away with Haru.

"Worse, an _arrogant_ maniac. I decline your order."

The schoolboy's eyes turned red as the English teacher approached.

"Settle down, young man, or you will be forced to leave. I'm sorry sir, but school regulations don't allow for head masks; kindly take it off or leave."

Baron bowed low.

"Then I must respectfully withdraw from the festivities. Care to join me, Haru? Toto's waiting outside."

She lit up, wondering what it would be like to ride him. She linked arms with her new boyfriend and managed to spot Tsuge and Hiromi to the left of her. They looked completely shocked, having never seen this side of their friend before.

"I'm catching a ride with someone else, Hiromi-chan, Tsuge-chan! See you Monday!" She hugged Baron's arms closer, and leaned her head on his shoulder as they left the gym.

Machida watched them go, his temper flaring hotter than ever before.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haru blushed slightly as Baron helped her get her coat on, loving his gentlemanly manner. She zipped it up as they walked out the front doors and to the side of the building, where they could hear a familiar feud flaring.

"At least I don't look like a giant marshmallow!"

"Oh yeah? Well at least I don't have a bird brain!"

"You already called me a bird brain, you idiot!"

Haru giggled softly.

"Do they ever try new lines?"

Baron rolled his eyes.

"Occasionally, but they seem to prefer-"

"Hey!"

The coupled turned, the vampire back for his revenge.

"He's leading you into a dark alley and you're not suspicious of the guy?!"

Haru shook her head.

"Baron's far too much of a gentleman to try what you're suggesting, and we have some friends in there. Go have fun, Machida. Find someone to be with."

His eyes turned red again, and he marched towards her, Baron sharply putting himself in front of her with a glare. Machida stopped short, being about two inches shorter than him.

"I believe Haru has made it clear that she wants you to pick someone else, since she's with me. Kindly return to the party."

The dark-haired youth laughed.

"Not until I see your face. I want to be sure Haru isn't getting herself into trouble."

The orange cat chuckled.

"She doesn't need my help with getting into trouble, just out of it. Perhaps I _should_ let you see my face."

Haru inhaled sharply and grabbed his arm.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Baron? What if he talks?"

He chuckled again, raising one hand to remove the steel mask over his eyes. Machida squinted his eyes against the darkness, trying to see why his crush was panicking.

"It's Halloween and it's dark. I doubt anyone would believe him." Baron pulled off the mask and hat, flicking his ears as he did so.

Machida blinked once, and then twice. Baron flicked his ears again and wrinkled his cat nose, so that the boy would know it wasn't a mask. Haru suddenly got an idea and softly stepped around her schoolmate as he started backing away, the anger melting into fear.

"No, no, this is impossible!" He tried to run, but then Haru grabbed his arm from behind.

"By the way, Machida; this is a horrible dream. Please stay away from me when you wake up." Using the secret research from her time in self-defense, she reached up and pressed the pressure point at the base of his neck, making him lose consciousness. Baron caught him before he landed on the brunette.

"That was a very nice touch, Haru."

She giggled as he dragged the boy right next to the front entrance, where he was sure to be found.

"Maybe if I get lucky, it will even work!" She jokingly crossed her fingers and waved them a bit.

Baron stopped dragging the comatose boy and stared at her.

"That does it, Haru."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, confused.

"What does it?"

Her boyfriend let Machida lay where he was as the cat approached her and placed his gloved hands on her shoulders.

"You. Do you have any idea how cute that is?"

She didn't get to answer him, since he started kissing her hard. Giggling a bit, she put her arms around his neck and started kissing him back as he shifted his grip to her waist.

Toto and Muta could wait. So could the many problems the two were sure to encounter, trying to make this relationship work.

But through the years that would follow this moment, neither would ever regret taking a second chance at love.


End file.
